Carburetor air-control device



E. G. HODGES. CARIiURETOR AIR CONTROL DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I3, 19H? Patented Apr. 25, 1922.

EDWARD G. HODGES, 0F MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA. I

CARBTURETOR AIR-CONTROL DElTIGE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pate tgd A 25f 1922 Application iledJanuary 13, 1919. Serial No. 270,928.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD G. Honens, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Marshalltown, in the county of Marshall and State ofIowa, have invented a certain new and useful Carburetor Air-ControlDevice, of which the following is a specification. a

The object of my invention is to provide an automatic air control deviceof simple and inexpensive construction, designed to be used inconnection with the carburetor of an internal combustion engine.

More particularly it is my object to provide in combination with thecarburetor and fuel mixture passage, a pair of air passagescommunicating with the carburetor and with the fuel mixture passageabove and below a throttle valve, and to provide valves in said airpassages connected with each other for simultaneous operation, saidvalves being so mounted that a greater portion of the area of each valveis on one side of the stem than on the other side, so that said valveswill tend to be actuated by the rush of air that passes the valves, andby the pressure of air due to the vacuum in the mixture passage.

Still a further object is to provide in addition to the means forconnecting the valves in the air passages, a spring and a thermostatdevice operatively connected with said spring, said thermostat devicebeing so mounted on the engine as to be subject to the heat thereof, theparts being so arranged that the, spring tends to hold the valves closedwhen the engine is cold, and so that the thermostat device partiallyreleases the tension on the spring when the engine becomes heated. 7

With these and other objects in view, my invention" consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of thedevice, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinaftermore fully set forth, pointed out in my claims,

- and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 showsa side elevation of my improved device, parts being shown in verticalcross-section.

Figure 2 shows a front elevation .of a thermostat and the means forconnecting the thermostat with the spring, and

Figure 3 shows a top or plan view of a part of the engine,,showingthethermostat thereon.

In the illustration of my invention shown in the accompanying drawings,I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate enerally a carburetorbody having therein a fuel nozzle 11. Above the fuel nozzle 11 is a fuelmlxture passage 12, in which is an ordinary throttle valve 13. It willbe understood that the fuel mixture passage 12 is deslgned tocommunicate with the cylinders of. the internal combustion enginethrough the ordinary manifold. Communicating with the carburetor bodybelow the throttle and below the .discharge endof the nozzle 11, is anair pipe or passage 14, in which is a butterfly valve 15 having a stem16 arranged off center with relation to the valve. The stem 16 ispreferably horizontal, so that the greater area of the valve 15 is belowthe stem. On the stem 16 is an arm 17. 4

Communicating with thefuel mixture passage 12 above the throttle valve13 is an air passage or a pipe 18, in which is a butterfly valve 19having a stem 20 also preferably horizontally arranged and mounted ofi'center on the valve 19, so that the greater area of the valve is belowthe stem. I

Fixed to the stem 20, outside the passage 18, is an arm 21. The arms 20and 21 are each pivoted to a link 22. The arm 17 is pivoted to the lowerend of the link 22 by means of a pin 23selectively received in one of aseries of holes 24: in said link and one of a series of holes 17 in thearm 17. The arm 21 is pivoted to the upper end of the link 22 by meansof the pin '25 selectively received in one of another series of holes 26in said link and one of a series of holes 21 in the arm 21. Secured tothe upper end of the link 22 is a coil spring 27 I Secured at its endsto a portion 28 of the exhaust passage is a thermostat bar '29, made ofmaterial which has a different'coeflicient of expansion than the engine,so that when the engine becomes heated the bar 29 will tend to buckle atits central portion- Secured to the central portion of the thermostatbar 29 is an outwardly extending arm '30. Suitably mounted is a bracket31. Pivoted between its ends on the bracket 31 is a lever arm 32, theupper end of which is pivoted to the arm 30. The arm 30 and the bracket31 each has a series of holes 33 and 34 to selectively receive pins,whereby the lever arm 32 is pivoted tosaid arm and bracket. At its lowerend the arm 32 has a lateral extension 33, also provided'with a seriesof holes 37. g

It will be seen that the lever 32 and the extension 33 form a bell cranklever. Selectively received in one of the holes 34: is a pin 35, towhich the upper end of the spring 27 is secured. I

'In the practical operation of my improved automatic air control device,it will be noted that the spring 27 normally holds the valves 15 and 19in their closed position. The valve 19 seats snugly, but the valve 15 issoarranged as to allow the passage of some air at all times.

When the engine is started and the throttle valve, 13 is opened, thetension of the spring 27 will tend to hold the valves 15 and 19 closed,although a partial vacuum will be created in the carburetor and the'fuel mixture passage, and some air will be drawn past the valve 15 forsupplying the carburetor. As the speed of the engine increases,

- both of the valves 15 and 19 are moved toward open position. The partsare so constructed and arranged that the valve 15 cording to the speedof the engine.

' are mounted ofi' center on the valves, the

valves will be tilted toward open position, and the rushof air past saidvalves will also tend to open said valves and hold them open.

The pipes 14 and 18 are curved upward. On account of this structure thecurrent of air will be more rapid on the out side of the curve of'airtravel, thus causing the more rapidly moving air to strike the lowerparts of the valves 15 and 19 for increasing the effect of the rush of.-air in opening these valves.

When the engine is idling and the throttle valve is closed, it will benoted that the vacuum will exist only above the throttle valve, andhence the rush of air past the fuel nozzle 11 will be reduced foreffecting a saving in fuel, while air will be supplied to the miX- turein the mixture passage 12 through the pipe 18 for maintaining a propervolume in the engine cylinders. By maintaining the proper volume intheengine cylinders, proper compression is always had, and on accountofhaving less'vacuum above the pistons 1 avoid the drawing of lubricatingoils up- -wardly past the piston rings into the combustion chamber.

It will be seen that the operation of my air supply device is automatic,and that comparatively little air is supplied when the engine is beingstarted, so that a mixture of maximum richness is had during thestarting of the engine; whereas, after the engine has attained speed andhas become heated, more air will be furnished.

lVhen the throttle is nearly closed and the engine is idling, or isunder a light load,

more air and less fuel will be supplied to connecting the lever arm 32with the bracket 31 and the arm 30, a great variety of adjust-- mentsmay be had, so that the tension on the spring may be varied as desired,for varying the action of the spring on the butterfly valves anddetermining just when in the operation of the device the butterflyvalves shall be subject to the vacuum and the rush of air only.

Furthermore, the valve 15 may be adjusted to different normal positions,regulating the relative amounts of air to be supplied through thepassages 14 and 18.

The adjustments provided also make it possible to apply an attachment ofthe kind herein mentioned, which may be made in standard sizes, toengines of different makes and kinds.

Some changes may be made in the con struction and arrangements of theparts of my device without departing from the real intent of myinvention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modifiedforms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may bereasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a plurality' of fluid passages,valves in said passages for controlling the flow of. fluid therethrough,means operatively connecting said valves, means normally urging saidvalves to a substantially closed position, said valves being soconstructed and arranged that an unequal pressure on opposite sidesthereof will tend to move the same toward open position against theaction of said urging means.

2. In a device of the class described, a plurality of fluid passages,winged valves pressure on opposite sides thereof becoming unequal.

I 3. In a device of the class described, a plurality of fluid passages,winged valves pivotally mounted in said passages for controlling theflow of fluid therethrough, means operatively. connecting said valves,and means normally urging said valves to a substantially closedposition, the wings of said valves each having a greater area to oneside of its pivot, whereby the same will tend to move toward openposition against the action of said urging means upon the pressure onopposite sides thereof becoming unequal, and one of said valvespermitting a leakage thereby of a predetermined volume of fluid when thesame is in fully closed position.

4. In a device of the class described, a

plurality of fluid passages, valves in said passages for controlling theflow of fluidtherethrough, means operatively connecting said valves,means normally urging said valves to a substantially closed position,said valves being so constructed and arranged that an unequal pressureon opposite sides thereof will tend to move the same toward openposition against the action of said urging means, anda thermostat deviceoperatively connected with said urging means.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a carbureter,a fuel mixture passage, a fuel nozzle in said passage, a

throttle valve in said fuel mixture passage,

air supply passages communicating with the carbureter on both sides ofthe throttle valve, winged valves mounted in said passages and pivotedofl center, means for operatively connecting said valves with eachother, whereby said valves are subjected to the operation of the partialvacuum created in one or more of said air pasages, and a thermostatdevice operatively connected with said air passage valves.

EDWARD G. HODGES.

